Cleaning apparatus for high draft mechanisms with endless belts



1936- l CASABLANCAS 2,051,793

CLEANING APPARATUS FOR HIGH DRAFT MECHANISMS WITH ENDLESS BELTS FiledMarch 18. 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I nvenl'or Rrncmdo CQSQZWQJ Aug. 18,1936. F. CASABLANCAS 2,051,793

CLEANING APPARATUS FOR HIGH DRAFT MECHANISMS WITH ENDLESS BELTS FiledMarch 18, 1933 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 frwenlor Fernando CwaZZancw:

ZZZorneys.

Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES CLEANING APPARATUS FOR HIGH DRAFTMECHANISMS WITH ENDLESS BELTS Fernando Casablancas, Sabadeli, SpainApplication March 18, 1933, Serial No. 661,620 In Spain Aumt 10, 1932 5Claims, (Cl. 19-140) In the drawing mechanisms of the high draft type inwhich the sliver is guided to the drawing rollers by means of a pair ofendless belts, it is of the greatest importance to keep the belts orstraps clean, thus avoiding the adherence to the belts of the wastefibres loosened from the roving because the adherence of the wastefibres n the belts would increase their thickness and would causetrouble in the working of same. These waste fibres in certain cases formon the external face of the belts a fibrous layer which on attaining acertain thickness falls oil either in part or in all and mixes with theroving thus producing irregularities in the thread.

In the drawing mechanisms with rollers there are usually employed forcleaning the top and bottom cylinders, some clearers formed by cylinderscovered with plush which revolve by the friction of the front or drawingrollers and which clean their surface. This system of utilizing a plushclearer which revolves by the friction of the same surface which itcleans has not given good results in practice for the cleaning of theendless straps or belts.

There has also been proposed an arrangement whereby the endless belts intheir movement bear against a fixed transversal brush or bar, so thatthis scraping or friction of the belt with the brush or bar shouldresult in the falling off of the waste fibres which have adhered to thesurface of the belt. This has given good results for the lower strap orbelt as the mass formed by the waste fibres which accumulate on thisfixed bar or brush, when falling off reaches the ruler or table of themachine where it will do no damage, but if this system of cleaning isapplied to the top belt what happens is that the waste fibresaccumulated on the bar or brush, when they attain a certain volume fallon the belt itself which by its movement incorporates them to the rovingwhich is introduced between the belts, thus producing breakages anddamage.

With the apparatus of my invention there are avoided all these troublesand defects and there is obtained a perfect cleaning of the top belt orstrap which results in a good drawing and improves the quality of thethread.

The improvements of my invention, consist in arranging a clearer formedby a cylinder covered with plush or any other appropriate material andof a relatively large diameter which rests only on the top drawing orfront roller and is moved by friction by this roller and which at thesame time touches slightly the surface of the top strap. This clearer asit is moved by the top front cylinder has a peripheral speed muchgreater than that of the strap and consequently even in the point ofcontact the strap and the clearer move in the same direction, thedifference in speeds produces a friction of the clearer on the strap,which cleans perfectly the exterior surface of this. This .plush cleareris arranged to be held or guided by a system of supports or guides ofadjustable position in such a way that without losing contact with thetop drawing cylinder this plush clearer may be advanced or withdrawnuntil it is in such a position that the plush bears lightly on the topstrap or belt.

In this way, when the clearer or cleaning cyl- 1 inder has intermediatecollars by which it is held or guided by the same pressure saddles whichbear on the drawing cylinders, these saddles are arranged in such a formthat the support or U shaped piece in which the collar of the clearerenters shall have a position which can be adjusted with relation to thesaddle. If it is not desired to use this method to avoid the necessityof making the clearers with intermediate collars, I make the pressuresaddles of a reduced form which will not disturb the mounting of theclearers and arrange at convenient distances according to the length ofthese clear- A ers some adjustable supports or guides mounted on thesame supports of the top drawing rollers and in which there are fittedthe end Journals of the clearers.

In the drawings there are shown as examples two forms of construction ofthis cleaning apparatus.

Figure 1 represents the application of the invention to a high draftmechanism with straps or belts, in which the clearer or cleaningcylinder is held by the same pressure saddle.

Figure 2 represents the application of the invention to a similarmechanism, in which the pressure saddle is low and the clearer has nointermediate collars.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 represent difierent exam ples of adjustable supportsfor the clearer of Figure 2.

In the example of construction shown in Figure 1, the rollers I, 2 arethe back or feeding rollers and 3, 4 are the conducting straps, whichare driven by rollers 5 and 6 and carry the roving to the front drawingrollers I, 6.

These rollers are all loaded by a double pressure saddle formed in twoparts, a rear part I which loads rollers 5 and l and a front part IIwhich loads the drawing roller 1. These two parts oi the pressure saddleare coupled one to another and receive by means of the pressure rod iithe action of the weight or spring to load the roller.

The bottom strap 3 is cleaned by arranging in the same frame holding thestraps or belts a brace or transversal bar l8 which bears lightly on thebottom part of the strap. In this way by the movement of the belt orstrap the small fibres which adhere to its surface go on accumulating oniii behind the brace or bar is and when this accumulation attains acertain volume loosens itself and falls on the ruler or table of themachine.

For the cleaning of the top strap 8 there is ar= ranged in thisinvention a clearer formed by a cylinder l2 covered with plush, which issituated approximately on the same vertical line of roller i and isdragged in its movement by this roller ll. The position of clearer i2 isconveniently adjusted in such a way that it touches very lightly on thesurface of the strap 3 and as the peripheral speed of cylinder i2 isequal tothat of roller l and consequently very much greater than that ofstrap 3, the difference in speeds causes this cylinder l2 to clean thestrap completely.

It is advisable that this clearer l2 should only rest on roller 1 as ifit should rest at the same time on the two rollers 5 and 1 it wouddeform the loop or curvature of strap 3 upsetting the proper working ofthis.

Where the clearer is driven by two rollers revolving at differentspeeds, the same will prove harmful to the proper working of theapparatus, and the efflcient cleaning results produced by applicantcannot be attained.

In the arrangement of Figure .1, it is presumed that this clearer I2 isprovided with intermediate collars l5 by which it rests on the pressuresaddles ID in a similar manner to the clearers used in the drawingmechanisms with rollers. To this efiect each one of the saddles III hasa. U-shaped piece or bracket IS in which there meshes the collar l5 ofthe clearer, but this piece l6 instead of being joined invariaby to thesadde III is arranged according to this invention in such a way that itmay move forwards or backwards, to adjust the position of the cylinderl2 with relation to strap or belt 3.

For this purpose the piece I 6 is of stamped sheet metal forming agroove which engages the top part of the saddle Ill and carries fixed insuch a, manner that it can freely revolve, a screw II which is threadedin a prolongation l8 of saddle III. In this way by turning screw I!there can be moved forwards or backwards the piece I6 and thus there canbe easily adjusted the position of clearer l2 in such a. way that itbears lightly as has been previously stated on the exterlor surface ofstrap or belt 3.

In Figure 2 there is shown a variation of construction in order to avoidhaving to arrange intermediate collars in the clearer. In this case theclearer or cleaning cylinder 22 is completely of the same diameter inall its length and only presents on the ends small journals 23 which fitin appropriate supports which preferably should be arranged at thesupports of the top front or drawing rollers I. In order to allow forthe mounting of the cylinder 22 there has been given to the front part20 of the pressure saddle a reduced form, but apart from this, itsworking is the same as that of the saddle shown in Figure 1.

n the bar 2| there are mounted in the-usual way supports 24, 25 in whichthere are set the enemas journals of the top rollers and i such as isshown in Figure 3. Of these supports, the one 285 is of a special formand carries the support 2'1 for the journal 23 of the clearer 22. Thesesupports 27? are of adjustable position and can adopt difierent forms ofconstruction as is shown in three examples in Figures 3 to 5.

In the example of Figure 3 the support 2? for the clearer 22 is pivotedby a pin it on the support 25, in such a way that it may swing to adjustthe position of cylinder 22. The position of the support 2? is adjustedby means of a screw 28 which is screwed in the support 27 and a spring29 which forces the support towards the right in such a way that byturning the screw more or less there can be adjusted the position ofsupport fill.

The arrangement of Figure 4 is very similar as the support 2? is alsoarticulated in Ed on the support 255 and the only difference is that theposition is adjusted by means of a screw 38 which is held in a slot ofsupport 25 and which is screwed in the support 21. In this case as thescrew 30 cannot move longitudinally in any sense, there is avoided thenecessity of the spring 29.

In Figure 5 there is shown another form in which the support 27 moves ina forward or reverse direction instead of swinging on an axis. To thiseffect the support 2i is independent of support 25 and can slide on thisduly guided by wings or prolongations 3|. The support 21 carries a screw32 mounted in such a way that it can revolve but not slide and thisscrew 32 is screwed in a prolongation 33 of support 25 in such a waythat by turning this screw 32 one way or other, the support 21 moves tothe right or to the left.

All of these arrangements provide for completely and exactly regulatingthe position of the clearer 22 relative to the top strap or belt 3,whereby the contact of the plush surface of the clearer lightly upon thetop strap cleans the strap from the small fibres which may clingthereto.

I claim:

1. A cleaning apparatus for a textile drawing mechanism comprising anupper and a. lower endless belt, an upper and a lower front drawingroller supported in close proximity to the belts, said endless beltsbeing driven at a lower peripheral speed than the front rollers, aclearer mounted for movement above the upper roller and the upper belt,a bearing for said clearer provided with spaced guide walls to permitthe downward movement of the clearer by gravity to engage with the upperfront roller and to permit rotatably driving the clearer by the roller,a support for said bearing, and means for adjustably connecting thebearing relative to the support whereby the clearer contacts lightlyupon the upper belt to clean the same due to the difference ofporipheral speeds of driving the upper roller and the upper endlessbelt.

2. A cleaning apparatus for a textile drawing mechanism comprising anupper and a lower endless belt, an upper and a lower front drawingroller mounted in close proximity to said belts, a. diametricallyenlarged clearer rotatably mounted above said upper belt and upperdrawing roller, and in alinement therewith, said clearer having aplurality of spaced and axially alined portions of a reduced diameter,a. U-shaped bearing to straddle each of said reduced portions to providea limited guideway for the downward movement of the clearer tofrictionally contact with the up per roller for rotating the clearer,said U-shaped bearing having its upper portion flanged outwardly, asupport to engage the bottom and the flanged portion of said bearing,and a screw pin connection between the bearing and the support to movethe clearer in a direction at right angles to the downward movementwhereby the frictional engagement of the roller with the clearer alsopermits a light contact with the upper belt to clean the same.

3. A cleaning apparatus for a textile drawing mechanism comprising anupper and a lower endless belt, an upper and a lower front drawingroller mounted in close proximity to said belts, an elongated clearerabove said upper roller and upper belt, said clearer having a journal ateach of its ends, a bearing member to receive said journal provided witha short and an elongated arm connected together in spaced relation toform a guideway, the said bearing member directing the movement of theclearer downwardly to engage the upper roller, a support to provide aforwardly and a rearwardly spaced wall to mount the upper roller, thesaid rearwardly spaced wall having pivotally mounted thereto the lowerend of the elongated arm, and a screw pin for adjusting and fixedlysecuring the bearing and support whereby to place the clearer infrictional driving position with the upper roller and in light contactwith the upper belt for cleaning the same.

4. A cleaning apparatus for a textile drawing mechanism provided withupper and lower endless belts and upper and lower front drawing rollers,said endless belts being driven at a lower peripheral speed than thefront rollers, comprising a cylindrical clearer of relatively large.diameter having an outer cleaning surface, a bearing for said clearerprovided with spaced members for guiding the downward movement of saidclearer, and means for adiustably supporting said bearing to permit theclearer to frictionally contact with the upper front drawing roller, andto be rotated by the same, the said supporting means positioning thecleaning surface of the clearer to bear lightly upon the upper endlessbelt without retarding the movement of the belt, and to clean the samedue to the diiference of peripheral speed movements of the endless beltand the clearer.

5. In combination with a belt and a drawing roller driven at higherspeed than the belt, a 20 clearer, means for supporting said clearer tobe able means for said bearing to move the clearer 25 toward and fromthe belt without imposing any substantial weight of the clearer upon thebelt but being in clearing contact with the belt.

FERNANDO CASABLANCAS.

